Heath: Week Ten Legislative Update

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” – James 1:17

Last week the Senate addressed a total of 25 pieces of legislation with one of them being the most important we have passed so far this session. On Friday, in a party-line vote, the Senate adopted House Bill 481 – the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act. This legislation would prohibit abortions after the heartbeat of the child in the womb is medically established which is typically at six weeks.

There are four exceptions when a mother would still have an option to terminate the pregnancy up to 20 weeks – pregnancy resulted from rape or incest, is medically futile or puts the mother’s life at risk.

During the 4.5 hour debate, we heard about choice and trust. When I think of those words, I think of the choice that God made to put his trust in women as the guardians and caretakers of children made in His image.

I voted for HB 481 because I believe in the sanctity of life, that we are all beautifully and wonderfully made by our Creator. When opponents of HB 481 use the life of the women as their reasoning, they are neglecting to think of the rights of the unborn child who has a fifty-fifty percent chance of being female and one day becoming a mother herself. By voting against HB 481 they are denying her right to life and chance for a future.

Just as we recognize advances in technology relative to criminal law (DNA), we should change our laws relative to life now that technology reveals to us the details of the evidences of life earlier than when court decisions such as Roe v. Wade were made. With the technology available today, it is hard to deny that life begins at the point of conception.

There is nothing more precious than hearing the heartbeat of a child who has the potential to change the world one day.

If a person is convicted of a crime and stands before a judge, will that judge say, “Your sentence is death to your child.” Of course not.

But that’s what opponents of HB 481 want, to punish, by death the child, the failures or mistakes of the parents.

A child didn’t make the choice to be conceived and so they should not be denied the right to live.

The debate over pro-life and pro-choice is never an easy one but for me the decision to support HB 481 was never hard. I believe that every life is precious because it is made by our Creator. This life should be protected at all cost. There are too many families who cannot conceive a child on their own and many of them have chosen to be parents through adoption. We should not deny a child the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness because of the choices made by others for them. This legislation is not about attacking a women’s choice, it is about protecting a life. The medical standard for death is a lack of heartbeat so why should our standard for life not be the presence of one. If you have any questions about HB 481, please do not hesitate to reach out. I am always available to discuss HB 481 or any other legislation with you.

Sen. Bill Heath serves as Chairman of the Government Oversight Committee. He represents the 31st Senate District which consists of Haralson and Polk counties and portions of Paulding County. He may be reached at 404656-3943 or by email at billheath@billheath.net.